Apparatus for indicating the rate of flow of fluids in pipes.



C. L. WElLn APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE RATE OF FLOW 0F FLUIDS IN PIPES.

APPLICATION HL ED DEC. 18, I913.

A Patented Feb. 6,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. WEIL, OF ST. CLAIR, MICHIGAN.

APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE RATE OF FLOW OF FLUIDS IN PIPES.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed December 18, 1913. Serial No. 807,408.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. WEIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Clair, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Indieating the Rate of Flow of Fluids in Pipes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for indicating or measuring the rate of flow of fluids in pipes or tubes. The invention is applicable to the measurement of the rate of flow of any fluid, but it is especially useful in connection with gases or vapors, and more particularly for use in indicating the rate of flow of steam. 1

According to my invention, the fluid flowing in a tube is made to pass through a relatively large closed chamber and the rate of flow of the fluid is indicated by the difference between the pressure of the fluid in this chamber and the pressure of the fluid in a relatively small pipe into which it flows on leaving the chamber.

I am aware that the difference between the pressures of a-fluid at difierent points in its course has been used to indicate the rate of flow of the fluid, but so far as I am aware, in all prior devices utilizing differential pressures for this purpose use has been made of a short throat piece of crosssection less than that of the tube in which the fluid is flowing, inserted in said tube by means of converging and diverging pipes which are connected tosaid throat piece at their small ends and connected with said tube at their large ends. A principle upon which the operation of these meters depends is that a liquid maybe made to How uniformly through a gently expanding frustum of a cone without material loss of head. The measurement of rate of flow, according to my invention, does not involve this The type of differential meter converging and diverging tubes found fairly satisfactory in measprinciple. involving has been urin the rate of flow of liquids, but it is not suita 1e for use as a gas or vapor meter. One reason for this is that with this type of meter applied to gases and vapors it is 1mpossible to get a sufficient difference in pressure to be conveniently measurable. Anothe reason for the failure of this type as a gas or vapor meter is that passing a gas or vapor through a diver 'ng tube results in what is termed wire' rowing, that is,

. pressure tubes, 8

the vapor does not evenly and uniformly fill the expanding frustum and, therefore, the principle upon which these meters work does not obtain in the case of gases and vapors. My invention, on the other hand, works extremely well as a gas or steam meter since it necessitates no use whatever of diverging tubes.

The accompanying drawing represents a side elevation of a form of apparatus involving and carrying out my invention.

In the drawing, 1 represents the pipe in which the fluid is flowing. 2 represents a pipe branchin from pipe 1 and connecting with the cham er or drum 3. It is desirable that the pipe 2should extend into the chamber 3, as indicated in the drawing. The chamber 3 has a conical outlet 4, to which is attached a pipe 5, which leads back to the main pipe 1. Between the points where the pipes 2 and 5 join the pipe 1 is a valve 6, which may be closed thereby forcing all the fluid flowing in the pipe 1 through the chamber 3. A differential pressure age 7 is connected with the chamber 3 and with the outlet 4 at a point 8, where the internal cross-section of the outlet 4 is the same as that of the pipe 5. The gage may be connected at any point in the pipe 5, instead of 8, but if it is connected, at a considerable distance from 8*, an error will be introduced owing to the drop of pressure along the pipe 5, due to friction. The differential gage illustrated consists of two and 9, leading from the points at which the pressure is to be measured.

the outer ends of these tubes are attached the air chambers 10 and 11. These air chambers are connected to the respective ends of a U tube, which consists of twov glass tubes 12 and 13, connected by the Ts 14 and 15 and the tube 16. For convenience and strength in construction, blind ni plea 17 and 18 are inserted between the T s 14 and 15 and the lower portion of the'air chambers 10 and 1.1. The U tube is partially the tubes 12 and 13 indicates the di erencebetween the pressures at the points at which the tubesS and 9 are attached. If the apparatus is to be used as a gas or vapor meter, a liquid of specific gravity about that of water, may be conveniently used in the U tube. I prefer to use water, to which, if desired, some coloring matter may be added. Ifthe apparatus is to be used as a stem filled with a. liquid, whose hei ht in meter, a pipe 19 may be inserted into the bottom of the chamber 3 to drain ofl any water which may condense from the steam. A thermometer-well may be inserted in the chamber 3, if desired.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows :When the apparatus is to be used, the valve 6 is first closed, thereby forcing all the fluid flowing in the pipe 1 through the pipe 2, the chamber 3 and the pipe 5. When the fluid has entered the chamber 3 through the pipe 2 its velocity in the chamber 3 becomes negligible owing to the large cross-section of the chamber. When the fluid enters the pipe 5 it again acquires an appreciable velocity. By means of the gage 7 the difference between the pressure of the practically stationary fluid in the chamber 3 and the moving fluid at the point 8 is indicated. From this difference of pressure the velocity of the fluid at the point 8" may be ,lreadily calculated by means of the for mu 3,

where It represents the difierence in pressure indicated by the gage 7 expressed in terms of feet of head of the fluid whose flow is being measured, and 9:32.16. From this velocity the rate of flow in cubic feet per second may be obtained by multiplying by the internal cross-section of the outlet 4 at the point 8. This may be put into terms of pounds per second, the density of the fluid being known. I am aware that the application of this formula to readings obtained from the apparatus described will not give theoretically correct results owing to the fact that the fluid in the chamber 3 is not absolutely at rest. A further inaccuracy is introduced if the apparatus is used as a gas or vapor meter by the fact that the density computation, or a scale based upon such a.

of the gas or vapor is somewhat different at the point 8 from what it is in the chamber 3 owin to the difference of pressure. But in practice I find that both of these errors are so slight that no correction need be made for them in applying the theoretical formula.

- In order to render the use of the machine more convenient in practice, tables may be supplied with it, from which the rate of flow may be found directly from the reading of the differential pressure gage 7 without any table may be attached to the difierential pzexure age so that the rate of flow may read 0 directly. a The air chambers 10 and 11 serve to prevent the fluid from coming in contact with the steam to rest in the chamber 3 permitsthe entrained water to separate from the steam and collect in the bottom of the chamber, whence it may be withdrawn through the pipe 19.

I Wish to have it understood that the specific apparatus which I have described is merely an example of an application of my invention, which is by no means limited to such apparatus. It is obvious, for example, that any form of differential pressure gage might be used instead of that which I have illustrated or separate pressure gages attached at the points 9" and 8 might be used without departing from my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A fiuidmeter consisting of a main pipe in which the fluid is flowing, a closed receptacle of relatively large. cross-section connected to said main pipe, a pipe of relatively small cross-section leading from said closed receptacle and connecting with said main pipe at a different point, a valve in said main pipe between the point at which said receptacle is connected to said main pipe and the point at which said outlet pipe is connected with'said main pipe, and means for This is measuring the difl'erence between the pressure of the fluid in said receptacle andthe pressure of the fluid at a point in said oulet p pe- 2. A combined steam meter and separator consisting of a closed receptacle into which the steam. is introduced and of so large a cross-section that the steam in it is practically at rest, a drain pipe connecting with the bottom of said receptacle, an outlet pipe leading from said receptacle, and means for measuring the difi'erence between the pressure of the fluid in said receptacle and the pressure of the fluid at a'point in said outet ipe comprising a U tube containing a liquld, and air chambers inserted between the ends of said tube and the points at which the pressure is to be measured.

In testimony whereof, I havehereuntp signed my name in the presence of witnesses. 

